McDonald's sign, Historical fast-food advertisement in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
The McDonald's sign in Pine Bluff is an 18-meter-tall structure featuring red and yellow neon tubes that illuminate the sky after dark. The sign stands at the intersection of Main Street and East 6th Avenue, where an active restaurant location operates today.
The sign was erected in 1962 as McDonald's rapidly expanded across the United States, opening restaurants along major roadways. It represents a wave of neon advertising that defined post-war American business and shaped how companies attracted customers.
The sign shows how fast-food chains shaped American commercial landscapes and the role neon lighting played in roadside design. It reflects a time when such glowing advertisements were central to how businesses communicated with passing travelers.
The sign is easy to locate since it sits at a central intersection downtown and remains visible from the street. Visitors get the best view during evening hours when the neon lighting shines most brightly.
The structure retains all original mechanical components and structural elements from the 1960s, making it a rare example of preserved commercial signage from that era. This is particularly noteworthy since most similar signs from that period were replaced with modern versions.
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